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Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I volunteering this info?
This is where we give you a lot of detail. It's a lot of reading, but we want you to know everything that you can. So bear with us as we give you all the details about how BlueJay works, why we collect this info, and how we secure all of it.
A traffic stop is likely going to happen to almost every citizen at some point. In any police interaction, the officer is given a lot of details to sift through, but all of it is coming from sources that aren't you. All communities are different, and all people have different needs, and the information that we use is carefully selected in order to make a more humanized approach happens. More than just your driving record, your officer knows who you are, what things you may have in common, and what community you may both be a part of. This takes the interaction from one between "citizen" and "officer" to one that may more look like "James" and "Curt", for example.
Secondly, and arguably the most powerful feature of BlueJay is the data that will be shared by you and your local police department. With this, there are insights about officers and the public that neither you or your police department will have been able to see before.
The Details:
License Plate:
The license plate is essential to the functionality of BlueJay. Not only is your profile identified via your license plate number, law enforcement officers initiate the traffic stop alert by way of entering this number. This starts the process of knowing more about each other in the moment, and getting valuable details about how the stop went 24 hours later.
Cell Phone Number:
Your cell phone number is our most basic way of communicating any critical updates to you.
Race & Gender:
This data is solely gathered to generate potential trends in policing. For example, if an officer with a specific background more often than not has a better rated experience with a specific community, then your local PD can use that to assign the right officers to serve that community.
First Language:
BlueJay aims to make every user feel more accommodated. Alongside newly adopted services, police departments will be able to provide you on-demand language interpretation for up to 240 languages.
Occupation:
Although this one may be concerning, your occupation can be an opportunity for your officer to make more informed decisions relating to the scenario. For example, if the officer sees tools or equipment in the car, they know that they pertain to your work, and there's less guess work and need for questions during a stop. And this is a way for you two to find more in common with each other, and keeps the interaction both quick, smooth and professional.
What will police do with my information?:
Your information is securely protected, and never shared unless it's actively being used in the pertinent moment. Your information can only be accessed if you are in a stop. Other than viewing your profile to make the best informed decisions during a traffic stop, police departments will have no interaction or access to your data.
Why do I need to let law enforcement know if there's a weapon in my car?
You have a right to possess a weapon, and knowing this in advance and in the moment is one thing that will make you and your officer have a much smoother interaction throughout. This knowledge in advance is one of the most effective ways to have an officer and citizen both feel more secure, and knowing whether there is or is not a weapon in the car is a game changer.
What if I'm being pulled over and I'm not the driver?
By way of the BlueJay Environmental Survey (the in-the-moment one), you will be able to let your officer know if you are driving the car or not. And if you let a friend or family member use your car for a moment, you'll know right away that they were pulled over, and where they were pulled over at.
Can any of the information I'm volunteering hurt or incriminate me?:
Generally, no. BlueJay promotes transparency, and the only way this platform can do any harm is dependent on the accuracy and the kind of the information provided in your BlueJay Driver Profile and during the BlueJay Environmental Survey.
Can I delete my account from BlueJay?
Yes. While our encryption ensures that this data is virtually impossible to be used by a third party (even BlueJay employees can't read it), we can and will honor requests to delete your personal information, so you know you have the option to exit at any time.
Is my information safe?:
Your information is safe and secure, and here's where we start talking like nerds. All people that BlueJay serves are protected using extreme levels of encryption, multi factor authentication, and different locations that data is stored. This is the same level of security as used by organizations such as the FBI or military.
BlueJay info is separate from city and police databases, too, and these are just some of the ways that we keep your data secure. It would be virtually impossible to manipulate or misuse, even by the most experienced attacker, or gain any access your identifying info if not doing that via the in-the-moment survey or by you editing your profile.